KITE HILL CEMETERY YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK

Kite Hill Cemetery

I told you in a prior post about the grave of Mattie S. Culver Yellowstone National Park. Hers is not the only grave located in the National Park. There are actually two more cemeteries located in the park.

You will find the Kite Hill Cemetery located on top of a hill behind the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel. It is known as Kite Hill because the residents of Mammoth have often climbed it with their children to fly kites.

According to National Park historian Lee Whittlesey in his book, "Death in Yellowstone", this cemetery was first used in 1883. Kite Hill is a civilian cemetery. It was used for early park workers and non-military residents.

Even though it has 14 graves there is only one monument still standing and it marks two graves. The lone marker bears the name of Mary J. Foster. Her age is listed as 33 and the monument indicates that she was buried on June 10, 1883 and she was probably an employee of the hotel which was in the process of being built.

The other name on the monument is Sarry E. Bolding. She died of unknown causes and even though she was buried foUr years after Foster they share a common headstone.

The cemetery also contains the bodies of two people who committed suicide, one who was murdered, and another who died in an avalanche according to Mr. Whittlesey's book.

For more information concerning cemeteries and death in Yellowstone National Park check out the book "Death in Yellowstone".